Goode Hope
by mariarodz
Summary: Callie Faust is an orphan at Grace Orphanage for Girls. She's had a pretty messed up life, until the students of Goode High School come to the orphanage, and she meets Percy and Annabeth, along with her future. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Goode Hope- Chapter 1**

**(This is after TLO)**

A girl named Riley bumped rudely against me, spilling all of her disgusting spaghetti lunch over me. When I was just about to punch the living crap out of her, she retreated with a smirk.

"Sorry!" She said in between chuckles.

As I lifted my hand to throw an apple at her head, Mrs. Hedge, the director, snatched my arm.

"We don't throw apples at people, dear" she said softly, "It's not nice"

"Well, she threw her lunch at me!" I signaled to my now dirty clothes.

"No more excuses, Callie. Now hurry along unless you want a punishment" she said with an evil glare in her eyes. I muttered some obscenities under my breath as I stepped into the dining room.

You see, I'm not good with this whole 'authority' thing. I had to hold back some very crude things to say to Hedge, unless, as she said, I wanted punishment.

The reason that I'm somewhere where there are ladies whom I have to address as Mrs. and Ms, is because I live in Grace Orphanage for Girls. I'm fourteen years old, and my full name is Callie Faust.

My mom died when I was four, as the ogresses here tell me, and my father brought me here. He's dead, for all I know, or he's just that much of a bastard for not wanting to take care of me. Either way, I don't care.

Life here in the Orphanage is not good. I have to live with people like Riley, for instance, and many other imbeciles and cretins around here. People like Riley will only make your life miserable. I often think it's her source of food, since I've never really seen her eat much. Not like the food here rocks, either.

Here at the Orphanage we don't have much. Apparently, the witches here can only get ahold of the scarce basics we all need. So, basically, we wear torn- up, used clothes, and socks with holes in them. Often, we need to fight each other for goods. It's rough, but it's not like we have options. Here, we don't fight for what we want, we fight for what we need.

I slipped into one of the old, rotten picnic tables by the window. Usually, nobody wants to sit here, so, I do. I pulled back the curtain, darkening the room. I sweeped my short, choppy black hair on to my left side, so the extra sunlight wouldn't bother me. Jay, a girl with long, light brown hair tied in a braid, and placid brown eyes approached me.

"Hey, Callie" she sat across me.

"Thought you'd like some company". Jay was the kind of girl that was cheery all the time, and one of the only people that didn't fear me. I wouldn't really consider her my friend, but she was at least one of the most tolerable people here. Why people feared me? Some said it was because I'm too agressive, but I see the most people backing away from me once I plant my gaze on them. They turn away, or look down. They say it's because of their color, crystal honey, but I don't see why they would be so intimidating, although it is of good use when one of these morons decide to annoy me.

"Hi, Jay" I replied uninterested.

"Hey, did you hear about the school?" she asked excitedly. Sometimes, a goodhearted school would come in here and donate some things to us, things probably the sorceresses couldn't get at the 99 cent store. These things were a luxury to us, and of course, we'd take it gladly.

"No. Which one this time?" I asked.

"Goode High School" she replied happily.

"Oh, that's nice. We'll hopefully get some toothpaste or something around here" I replied nonchalant.

"Oh, come on, Callie. Lighten up. These people are being generous and donating new things, Callie. _New_ things. You should be grateful" she said.

"I know that. I just hope that they're not like the other schools. You know they treat us like freaks. I don't like people thinking down on us. It just infuriates me" I said. Almost all the schools that had come to "visit" us had ended up making disrespectful remarks about us, and I swear, every time I hear something like that I want to punch something.

_-Flashback-_

_"Hey, you" the blonde pointed at me._

_"What?"_

_"Why are _you_ here?" She asked carelessly_

_"None of your business!" I replied angrily._

_"Did your mommy die? Did your daddy die?" She spoke as if I was five._

_"I said it's _none of your business_" I said crudely._

_"Oh, I'm sorry, you filthy orphan. You don't have anyone in your life that cares for you. Don't you know that nobody wants you, you pest?" She screamed at me._

_And that's when I made her nose, mouth, and ears bleed._

_And that's also when I was moved into the _"Troublemakers"_ bunks._

"I think they'll be nicer this time," Jay said hopefully, "I hear they're pretty easygoing..." she drifted away in thought.

"Well, let's hope you're right" I said, before Hedge began with her obnoxious screeching.


	2. Chapter 2

**Goode Hope- Chapter 2**

"GIRLS!" Hedge yelled

"Out of the dining area, please. On to your scheduled classes" She motioned her hands for us to move.

I walked out of the dining area and in to The Room. It's a huge room lined with three rows of beds. My bed was next to Anna, Judith, and Taylor. Jay was at the very end of the long room. Anna is one of my best friends. She's very talkative and outspoken. Taylor was quiet, but nice, when she felt like it. Judith is just bitter. She couldn't care less about us, and most of all, she constantly cursed at everything around us. It's not like I didn't do that sometimes, but she was like _the other side of the rainbow, if you know what I mean._

"Hey, Callie" Anna called out. "I didn't see you today at lunch"

"I sat with Jay" I explained uninterested.

"Riley?" She asked pointing to my shirt.

"Yeah" I replied. I was surprised she didn't freak out, although Riley did this to me constantly. Anna was almost always a neat freak. There weren't many ways to stop Anna from dragging you into a washing machine. But, as the rest of us, she had to live and sleep in stained clothes and sheets.

"Look, I have to go... Mrs. Fence will be there any minute"

"Okay. See ya" she waved me off.

I made my way to the old classrooms in the right wing. We had a few hours of school before the hags sent us around doing chores. These ladies are the cruelest people in the universe. I don't know why my dad sent me here in the first place. They're like, _movie_ cruel. You wouldn't really expect to see that in a real orphanage, but hey, that's my reality. I don't really give a shit. That's how my friends are, too. They're tired of confronting the directors again and again to no avail, so, like me, they just go with the flow and try to make the best out of this craphole.

There was chatter inside the classroom. Girls in the ages of thirteen to fourteen took basic math here. I sat in the first available seat, and waited for the horrible stench to come in the door. Mrs. Fence wore this disgusting perfume that everyone hated, and I mean_ everyone_, but for some reason, she continued to use it.

I saw some girls whispering while they looked at me. It's always like that. For some reason, people like to pick on me, and I become a target for everyone, and I hate that! People think that I can't fight back, but I can break their silly noses in no time.

I gave them a stare, and they rapidly stopped looking at me. See? These are the times where the intimidating eyes come to use. I smiled in fulfillment.

Mrs. Fence came in the door, and everyone gagged a little inside, like always.

"Dearies, tomorrow, we have some special visitors. The students of Goode High School have been kind enough to donate some goods to us. I want you all to be prepared, and be nice, Callie?" she looked at me.

"I won't cause any trouble, Mrs. Fence" I assured her. _Or at least, I hope I don't.  
_

* * *

I woke up the next day to the bell. Everyone rose from their beds simultaneously. I scratched my eyes and stood up.

"Children" Mrs. Hedge said through the loudspeakers "It's time to wake up!" she called annoyingly.

I went to the overcrowded bathroom where at least fifteen girls were trying to brush their teeth. I waited in line to use the sink. I found Jay standing next to me.

"Morning" I said

"Morning" she yawned "are you excited for the school visiting?" she asked

"Not particularly. I just hope there aren't any more kids like that _Lindsey_ bitch last time" Jay nodded.

"I don't think there will be. You have to approach each school differently, Callie. Not everyone is bad" she tried to convince me

"Yeah. Not everyone" I said sarcastically. "Well, okay, not everyone, but with my luck, I'm sure _something_ will go wrong today"

The next thing that happened proved me right.

Jay and I walked rapidly towards the kitchen. If we were lucky, we could get some cereal. Jay absolutely loved cereal. We stood in line, trying to fight off the desperate children like us trying to get some breakfast. the bowls of cereal clanked against the rusted metal counters. Each bowl served meant one less chance of getting food, which happened. The kitchen doesn't always have enough food for everyone, so some people have to share. I hungered for cereal, and I'm sure Jay did, too; but we couldn't cut in front of anyone, or it was automatic punishment.

I waved to my other friends, Kristen and Charlotte Evans. They're orphaned twins who were entered here last year. I motioned for Jay to follow me to the twins' table. Glad that we had gotten some cereal, we sat down.

Jay gulped down her cereal faster than anyone. I don't think she even talked in between bites. Oh, well, Jay and her habits.

"Do you think these people are gonna be nice?" Kristen asked. She had hazelnut hair and blue eyes, and had freckles.

"I honestly don't know" I said

"I think we should shut up and accept whatever they bring us" said Charlotte. She had auburn hair and deep green eyes.

"Well, it's not like we're not gonna take it like last time!" I argued.

"No, but come on, cut them some slack" Jay objected.

"Why should I?"

"Because they don't know what it's like" Jay said

"That doesn't justify that they come here and treat us like trash!"

"I know that. I don't like it either, in fact, I hate it. But I forgive them, and maybe you should, too" her words hammered in my head.

"Maybe. But I'm not going down without a fight" I concluded.

We all finished eating breakfast in silence, the environment a little awkward now. I circled my spoon absentmindedly around my bowl while everyone just stared blankly at their food.

"I think I'm gonna go" I said. Jay followed. "Me too"

"Well," I said, "Let's get ready for this.

* * *

We were at The Room when Mrs. Hedge called for all of us to come down to greet the Seniors of Goode High School. I had prepared myself for any remark that some cretin might say, and tried my best to follow Jay's advice and forgive them, but it was not going to be easy.

It was a single file line, and every student had a wrapped up present. Some had smiles on their faces, others fake ones, and I saw some who were just annoyed to be here. _Forgive, Callie, forgive_, I told myself. Most of the students handled the packages carelessly, as if it were of no importance to them, when it meant health for us. It made me upset that these people didn't value things as much as we did. Oh, well, on with their perfect lives. They might have more power than me, but it made me uneasy the stares they were giving us, unsettling stares.

As the rest of them came in, and the orphanage door closed with a thud, the leader, who I guessed was a teacher, spoke up.

"Hello, girls. We've brought you some presents, and we'd like you to open them. These were packaged with a lot of love, and I hope you like them" she smiled, although it looked a little forced to me.

Each Senior was to give one gift to one girl. I really wasn't looking forward to receiving rude comments. I hoped that at least this person was sensitive.

The boy approached me with a smile and gentle green eyes.

"Hi, I'm Percy" he said, "this is for you" he handed me a small blue box with a green ribbon.

"Thank you" I said, genuinely grateful. This boy's eyes seemed to be trying to tell me something, as they wanted to drag me with him. _No_, I told myself. I looked towards where Jay was standing, and I saw a girl with curly blond hair talking to her

"... Annabeth" she introduced herself. Jay shook her hand amiably, and smiled. The boy noticed me looking at them.

"That's my girlfriend, Annabeth" he said proudly.

"Good for you. She's beautiful" I said.

"Thanks, I know, right?" he gloated. "Look, can I talk to you?" he asked.

I was a bit bewildered by his question. "Um, okay?" he dragged me to a corner of the room, and he closed in on my face.

"I need you to come with me and Annabeth" he said.

"What? Why? Where?" Why the hell did this random boy I just met wanted me to come with him? Was he high or something?

"Because you're not safe here. Neither is your friend, Jay" he warned. "You need to come with me and Annabeth"

"Where are you taking us, then?" I asked.

"Somewhere safe. You have no clue of how exposed you are right now. You don't know who you are. You are in danger. Both of you" he urged.

"Why would we be in danger?" I challenged.

"I don't have any more time for questions. They're watching you both. We need to go" he looked up, his eyes wondrous, but I saw nothing. We passed his girlfriend, and he gave her a single confident nod, and she did so back, and dragged Jay with her. I was completely confused, but something about Percy's eyes reassured me. I followed him, still a bit skeptical about the entire situation, but I would get out of here any chance I got. My eyes met with Jay's, and I could tell she was just as confused as me.

Percy and Annabeth took us both out of the Orphanage. I noticed then someone else. A very beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"This is Silena" Percy introduced us, "and she just got you out of here" Silena smiled. She flashed her brilliant while teeth.

"How did you...?" I began

"Charmspeak. Basically, I can get people to agree with me if I want them to" she explained.

"cool!" I said.

Percy, Annabeth, and Silena told us to get inside a car that said "Delphi Strawberry Service". I hesitantly got it, but did so after countless pokes from all four of my friends.

"So, Percy, where exactly are you taking us?" I asked.

"Camp Half Blood" he said simply.

"Half _what_?" Jay asked.

"Greek gods and goddesses, you know about them?" we nodded "Well, half bloods, or demigods, are their spawn. You're demigods" my thoughts filled with confusion, anger, betrayal, and other feelings I couldn't quite explain.

"I'm the son of Poseidon" he said, "She's a daughter of Athena", he pointed to Annabeth, "And she's a daughter of Aphrodite"

"Who is your mortal parent?" Percy asked me.

"My mother. And she's dead" I spat back. I hated talking about her.

"And you?" He asked Jay

"My dad. And he died in the military" Her eyes welled up a little bit. I'd never known that about her. I kind of felt sorry for her.

"Well, at least we know where to start" Silena stated.

Well, sure as Hades I didn't.

**(A/N) I know about Silena, but whatever! I like her. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Goode Hope- Chapter 3**

The car ride continued awkwardly. I wasn't asking any questions. The more in depth we went into the subject, the more I hated my father. No one had ever told me, and now this?

_No. Fucking. Way._

Jay was talking with Annabeth and Silena. I wished I could be as open minded. I sat measly in the corner, and I reminded me of Taylor.

_Snap out of it, _I told myself.

_Speak up. Man up_.

Jay started laughing and that broke me from my thoughts. I glanced to my left, and for the first time, I noticed the driver. An intense blue eye- scratch that- _eyes _looked at me. I bumped into Percy in surprise.

"That's Argus", he explained, "he won't hurt you"

"Oh. I knew that" I replied a little flustered.

The wheels came to a sudden stop at the foot of a deserted hill.

"This way" Percy waved his hands for use to come forward.

"What the fuck?" I exclaimed. "Percy, what could you possibly want here? I should've stayed in the orphanage" I muttered.

"No, you shouldn't have, and the camp is this way. The strawberry thing is our cover. Now, come on!" he hurried.

"You better not lose us!" I shouted. Percy scoffed. Jay was leaded by Annabeth and Silena.

The camp was about a quarter mile from where Argus had left us. It greeted us with Grecian- style columns and a stone up on top that read _Camp Half Blood_ in Greek. _Weird, _I thought_, I can read this_.

Percy pushed us past the border. We were in the air for about two seconds, until we landed at the peak of a hill that overlooked the ocean. I could see creatures that were unreal; like half-men half-horses, men with... goat's hooves?

I also saw water women and tree women. What the freak was this place?

Percy, Annabeth, and Silena catched up to us.

"What is this place?" Jay asked.

"I don't know, Jay, I have no clue"

Percy spoke up

"Welcome to Camp Half Blood" he grinned.

"I thought you were going to take us to a real camp, not Narnia!" I yelled.

Percy chuckled. "This isn't Narnia. Come on, we'll show you around.

We went down the hill carefully. I was aware of my surroundings, my guard was up. I had to admit, though, that it was beautiful. It was full of nature and purity.

Soon, we reached the bottom of the hill. The camp was laid out in twenty different cabins, as Percy had called them, and each represented a Greek god. If you were a kid of one of them, you stayed in your respective parent's cabin. I saw many different kids of different ages with different abilities, all in the same family. I wondered, then, who my father was. _You'll find out soon enough_, I said to myself, and concentrated on learning the way around the activities this camp had to offer.

I was particularly interested in swordfighting. It looked like the easiest thing to master. I wanted to grab a sword and start fighting, but Percy held me back, telling me I'd get to do that later on in the day.

We were walking around when we passed the volleyball courts. A bunch of really athletic kids were playing. I don't really like volleyball, so I just followed Percy into a big white building.

A half man, half horse, and a man with a tiger shirt were playing a card game, I think it was pinochle. Both of them glanced at us, and the half man smiled. The other just continued to play, uninterested.

"Hello, children" he greeted, "I'm Chiron, the activities director here, and that", he pointed at the other man, "is Mr. D, the camp director" Mr. D pulled some vines from outside and his wine glass filled with it. Dionysus, I thought.

"Hello" he said, "and welcome to the camp, yadda, yadda, yadda, don't get into trouble, keep your miserable lives to yourselves, don't interrupt my pinochle games and we could get along just fine" he smiled a fake grin.

"Well, anyway, Percy?" he looked at him, "have they been claimed already?"

"No, sir, but Annabeth and Silena think they know who this girl's", he pointed at Jay, "mother is" He whispered into Chiron's ear, and he nodded in agreement.

"Well, we can corroborate when she is actually claimed" Chiron handed us some laminated paper with times and activities. "That's your camp schedule. Percy, can you go and show them the orientation film?" I looked at him questioningly. "Procedure" he said. I half-nodded.

Percy led us both out. Jay had been wondrous as to who her mom was.

"Percy? Why can't you just tell me?" she urged.

"Because it depends if we're right or not, and we don't want to place you in the wrong cabin ahead of time. Trust me, you'll be claimed soon enough" he assured. Jay asked no further questions, but I could see the curiosity in her eyes.

"It's fine, Jay, we'll find out" I doubted myself on that one.

"Well, meanwhile, you two will stay in the Hermes cabin. When you parents claim you, well, you go to their cabin. Okay?" Percy said

"Sure" we both replied

"See ya around!" he left.

Jay and I had to find the cabin by ourselves, since Percy, Annabeth, and Silena had gone to do their respective daily activities. When we practically knocked on every door possible, we found the Hermes cabin.

"Hey!" a cheery brunette greeted us. "Welcome to the Hermes cabin! Are you new?" he asked.

"Yeah"

"Okay. Just dump your stuff wherever you find space" he pointed to the floor. "I'm Phil, by the way"

"Hi, Phil" we said. The floor was crowded with other campers' belongings, so it was quite hard to find an unused spot. Being in the Hermes cabin without knowing anyone was kind of... uneasy. Jay and me absentmindedly played with our hair, or stared at the door. No one except that boy bothered to welcome us. I was obviously in the wrong cabin. If Hermes was my father, I would have some kind of connection with these people, but they didn't mind us at all. _Awesome, _I thought_, I feel right at home. _

The Hermes cabin was ordered to go participate in their scheduled activity, so I looked at my schedule. 3:00 pm- Archery. Really? Archery? Great, I thought.

I paced uninterested towards Archery, hoping it would go quickly. When I got there, I saw many people already waiting for the instructor to arrive. It reminded me of the math classes at the orphanage- Holy Zeus. I forgot. Completely.

Anna.

I hadn't even explained the situation to her, and I really doubt she saw me leave. Oh, shit. My best friend probably thought I'd gone missing. _What do I do now? Can I call her? Can I talk to her? How?_ These questions buzzed in my head when I was interrupted by a ray of sunshine.

"Hello, campers. For those of you who are new today, I'm Will Solace, son of Apollo, and I will be teaching you Archery today. As most of you know, Apollo is also the god of archery, so we will be learning his art. _Fascinating, _I thought,_ just fascinating._

When it was my turn to try the bow and arrow, I let the arrow fly out, and it landed right beside the bull's eye. _Pretty good_, I thought.

"Excellent!" said Will, and he passed on to the next kid.

I'm not really sure why, but that day went on like torture. After archery, I couldn't find Jay, so I roamed the camp alone, hoping she'd show up sooner or later. Without noticing, I stumbled upon Silena.

"Hey, have you seen Jay anywhere?" I asked.

"I haven't seen her since I left you guys here. Sorry" she said.

"OK, thanks anyway" I mumbled.

I needed to find Jay, because it was almost five o'clock, and according to schedule, dinner was at six thirty. _Nah, it's okay. Like, Silena said, you'll find her sooner or later,_ I muttered to myself.

I had a strange urge to know who was the one who brought me to the Orphanage. I wanted his name. I wanted answers. I wanted to know why the fuck he hadn't brought me here instead. And why he had let mom die. It wasn't making any sense to me. I let the thought fly away, and concentrated in the three next most important things: Finding Jay, Talk to Anna, and Meet Douche Dad.

Of course, I didn't expect anything.

"All hail..." I heard, "...daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest and agriculture" I ran to the spot where I had heard this hailing and all, and was dumbfounded to see someone I knew standing there.

Jay.

She had a... bowl full of cereal and wheat grass? on top of her head. _Really, Demeter, really? Cereal?_ Oh, well, like mother, like daughter. She was in the middle of eating her Cheerios, and she gets claimed. Nice, timing, too, Demeter.

She looked kind of confused with a mouthful of Cheerios and a stunned look in her face. _So, this is the way it's supposed to be?_ I hoped I'm not claimed when I'm in the bathroom or other high and mighty activity, 'cause I could see Demeter caught Jay by quite a surprise.

Jay looked happy after she swallowed her mouthful of cereal, and started hugging her brothers and sisters.

"Hi, I'm Katie" one girl said.

"I'm Jay" she replied. They instantly looked like best friends.

_Great, _I thought,_ my only friend is claimed, and now I'm left alone. Gee dad, you sure are the best. _

Now that Jay was out of the Hermes cabin, and I was still in, it was even more uneasy than before. Nobody even dared talk to me. You know something I noticed? People weren't afraid of my gaze anymore. I was kind of relieved by that, that I didn't have to worry about people not approaching me of because of my eyes.

Anyway, I was kind of lonely, if I do dare admit it. Not having someone to talk to is pretty bad, especially, when technically, when there is a possibility that all these people are in some way related to you. Oh, yes, just like an awkward family reunion, or so I thought.

It came to a point where I heard the conch shell for dinner time. I still had a foggy idea of how this camp worked but, whatever. I headed to the place I knew was the dining pavilion. I kind of envied Jay, but it was because she had someone to blame. Me? I got no one, at least, until now. So, I walked indifferently in, and grabbed a tray of food and sat down. Before I could take a bite, Phil stopped my hand.

"Wait for Chiron. We pray first" he said. I nodded, but I didn't get why I had to wait to the half-horse to come pray to the gods. I was hungry, and there was no half-horse that could restrain me much longer.

Thankfully, he arrived soon.

"We offer this to you, the almighty gods of Olympus", and he threw a piece of fruit in the fire.

All the campers followed suit. I stood up, and asked Phil why we had to do this.

"As an offering" he explained.

"A thank you? Really? What have they done for us?" I complained.

"Don't mind that. Just say whatever comes to your mind"

_Well, this will be fun._

Phil mumbled something about Hermes and threw a part of his food in the fire. I approached the fire, and contemplated for a few seconds what I was going to say to my oh-so-wonderful father.

And so, as I threw a strawberry into the fire, I prayed, _Hey dad, hurry up and claim me soon, so I can go up there and punch your sorry face for leaving me. Love you!_ And I went back to sit with the rest of the Hermes table.  


* * *

**Thanks for reviewing! If you want to see what Callie and Jay look like, you can go to my profile and click on the link! (By the way, don't take the drawing too seriously, since it's just a one-hour rough, but I'll make a good one later :D Thanks again! ~mariarodz**


	4. Chapter 4

**Goode Hope- Chapter 4**

**

* * *

**

I didn't really see the point of praying to someone who never even gave a damn about you. It's like praying to a stranger that you are somehow related to, if that makes any sense. I ate my food contently, unsatisfied with the taste, but it filled my stomach. I tried to see what the other tables were doing. Most of them were just chattering amongst themselves. I glanced at the Demeter table, and I saw Jay feeling right at home. She was laughing with her siblings, and I was here with a bunch of strangers. I couldn't have felt lonelier.

A guy with reddish-brown hair swapped seats with Phil, who was sitting next to me. He swiveled towards me, and didn't say a word. I continued to eat my food, but after a few minutes of this, I turned reluctantly to face him.

"Um... hi" I said.

"Hey" was all he said back.

"Do you have something to say?" I asked, annoyed.

"I'm Dan" he held out his hand.

"Hi, Dan" I shook his hand.

"Look, I just want to say you are beautiful"

"Um... thanks..." I replied awkwardly. I stood up from the table trying to avoid conversation. After living my entire life in a girls-only orphanage, this is what you could expect.  
But no, Dan followed me.

"Hey, hey, hey, wait up" he grabbed my shoulder. "You're gonna leave just like that?" he had a weird snicker on his face.

"Yes, now I would appreciate if you-" I brushed his hand off my shoulder. "Thank you" I continued walking towards the trees.

"No, no, you can't walk away from me! I'm talking to you" the next thing I knew, I was running. Dan's steps turned heavier and heavier, and so, slower.

"CALLIE FAUST" a deep, evil, grainy voice said. I turned around to see that Dan had turned into a one-eyed, disgusting creature, a Cyclops. I almost lost my breath at the moment, but thus, I had no time to think. Dan the Cyclops was running after me, in the woods, and I had no weapons with me.

As I ran, I almost tripped over a broken tree branch. The Cyclops was picking up pace that soon would leave me in the dust. I had to come up with something, or Dan would eat me.

My first instinct was to pick up the branch and whack him in the head, but I realized that it would only annoy him. "GAAHHH!" he bellowed, and I couldn't stand still any longer.

Even though I knew it wouldn't make any difference, I threw the branch at his head. He merely groaned in pain, but kept after me. Wait, I thought.

Didn't Percy tell me that monsters couldn't get in unless summoned by a camper?

Oh, you're going down, SWEETIE!" I screamed at the glob. I whacked him with my hand. He didn't seem to be amused by that.

I started throwing everything around me towards the hideous monster: rocks, branches, heck, even dirt. It slowed him down, but didn't conquer him.

After useless attempts to kill Dan, I saw the shock of a spear slice his head onto the ground. The monster fell to his knees, trying to find its head, but he was unsucessful. The spear chopped him into pieces. The girl who held the spear took off her helmet, allowing her brown, stringy hair to cascade down. She had a harsh look on her face, as if she were annoyed. She was pretty buff, and looked satisfied with the killing she had just done.

"Hey, you" she called out.

"Yeah?" I turned around.

"Aren't you gonna say something?"

"Um... thanks, I guess?"

"Whatever. I'm Clarisse, daughter of Ares" she introduced herself. "I can tell you're new here"

"I'm Callie Faust, and yes, I'm new"

"Unclaimed, huh? You still don't have any fighting skill" she guessed.

"Actually, I do. I wasn't carrying any weapons with me" I explained.

"If I were you, I would've cracked that thing's neck with my bare hands" she gloated.

"Well, good for you, but, you know, I kind of have a life to get back to" I spat back.

"I doubt it" Clarisse muttered. Not wanting to tear her brain apart, I walked away infuriated. I felt like I was back at the orphanage, all the girls harassing me, and I was unable to fight back. You see, the ladies at the orphanage, or as Percy had said they were, harpies, had placed me in the Troublemakers section for a reason- the Lindsey incident. They had said that if I caused any more trouble, they would throw me to the streets. I felt like that again here. Helpless, unable to break someone's nose just for saying rude things to me. But I was going to make all of that change, very soon.

I walked irritated back to the pavilion, only to see that everyone had already left. I paced to my cabin to check my schedule, and it read,  
10:00 am- Greek Mythology with Annabeth Chase Awesome.

I had little trouble finding the Greek building, since it had two marble columns, and some writing that said Teaching Pavilion in Greek, so I headed in. Inside, it was white and quiet. Too quiet for my taste. Of course, it was just me being paranoid, but silence killed me. I soon saw a door that read Ancient Greek, so I turned the golden knob and walked in.

It was filled with familiar kids from the Hermes and other cabins. I sat right beside a girl with chin length wavy blond hair, gin, almond-shaped brown eyes, and black, squared glasses. She was deep into sketching her father into a wide ruled notebook. From what I could see from her sketch, her dad was Hermes, though I hadn't noticed her before.

"Hey" I said.

"Hi" she said meakly.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Bug" she replied.

"I'm Callie. I just wanted to say that I like your drawing" I pointed towards the notebook. She tried to cover it with her hands, embarrassed that I had noticed her work.

"Don't be ashamed. It's good" I insisted. She smiled slightly.

"Thanks" She resumed her sketching.

"Hey, um, do actually like your dad?" I randomly asked. Apparently, I took her off-guard.

"Well, it's not like I've met him before, but I think he's a good person" she said.

"Why? What has he ever done for you?" I asked.

"Well, he gave me life, and he guided me here. He made sure I arrived here safely, with the correct company" she concluded.

"Well, that's more of a dad than I ever had" I scoffed.

"You're unclaimed?" she asked.

"Yeah" I simply replied.

"It sucks, I know, but come on, try and look to the bright side. You're already here, safe from harm" I scoffed once again.

"Safe from harm? I just outran a Cyclops in here and you mean to tell me I'm safe?"

"Whoa, I, uh-, I don't know" I could tell I just confused her.

I didn't have any more time for questions, because Annabeth walked through the door.

"Hello, campers. Today, we're going to be learning all about Polyphemus, the Cyclops son of Poseidon..." she continued. "... and Ares, the god of war" I could soon tell that this class was going to be dreadful for me. Why would I need to know what Hercules did? And why should I know about Polyphemus? I wanted to be out there, fighting. Most of all, proving Clarisse wrong. You still don't have any fighting skill, her words pounded in my head. I wanted to tear off her tounge. I hated when people challenged me like that.

"Okay, so first let's get into Ares" Ares.  
Something clicked. Something I hadn't noticed before. I felt it inside.

I then had this feeling of renovation, of cleansiness.  
But also a feeling of anger, bloodlust. I saw a red aura form around me, all the other campers looking at me.

The next thing I knew, Annabeth looked at me rewardingly. "And who better to teach you than a daughter of Ares herself" she said, pointing to me.  
Me? A daughter of Ares. That meant Clarisse was my sibling. Oh, joy.

"All hail Callie Faust, daughter of Ares, god of war" Annabeth said.

I was dismissed from the class to move my things into the Ares cabin. Just when I thought I was fitting into the Hermes cabin, Ares decides to claim me. Nice move, dad.

I reluctantly removed my things from my corner of the floor, and closed the door behind me as I headed to the cabin a door down. The red, flaming, Ares cabin. There was an unsettling feeling as I walked in. Clarisse, who was in there, just about to leave, gave me a strange look.

"What are you doing here-?" she asked, but stopped as she saw that I carried my things with me.

"Dad, are you fucking kidding me?" she shouted into the sky. "Whatever. Just put your stuff wherever you want, I don't care" she said indifferently. I shrugged, and placed my things on an empty bottom bunk I found near the window. The rest of my siblings tried their hardest to be nice to me. And what I mean by nice, I mean, trying to pick a fight for anything that happened to them. Oh, the sweet life of the Ares cabin.

I arranged my things in no particular order, and waited for one of my sisters, Dee, to finish doing whatever she was doing.

"What are you standing here for?" she asked. "Go to swordfighting, now"

Oh, the joy of being an Ares kid. Believe it or not, that was the nice way for them to say to leave. So, I went to swordfighting, and teaching the class was Percy.

_This is gonna be good,_ I thought, and walked past the crowd towards the arena.


	5. Chapter 5

**Goode Hope- Chapter 5**

Percy went on about the basic rules of swordfighting. Somehow, though, they seemed familiar to me, as if I had seen all the maneuvers he performed, when I am sure I haven't. This confused me, and I shook away the thought.

"...and now to the good part" he said, "we're going to fright in partners. You have fifteen minutes" he waved his hands for us to take some weapons from the weaponry cart. I walked excitedly towards it, anxious to finally hold a sword in my hands. _My home turf_, I thought.

"So, anyway, I'll be assigning your partners" some kids groaned. "It's a long story, but the point is, it's better that you don't choose who you're fighting with" good point.

"Okay..." he mumbled while he looked at the kids. "Jake, Helena. Mike, Troy. Greg, Marcia. Will, Kate. Clarisse, Deena. Callie, Lindsey" as he called my name I nearly fainted.

_Lindsey_... he didn't mean... _that_ Lindsey, did he? Oh my gods...

As her blonde hair twisted with the light breeze, her eyes cracked at the sight of me. Blood fired in my veins, hungering for revenge. It was the Lindsey, the one I beat up last year back at the Orphanage. SHIT! WHY, dad, WHY must you make my life so difficult?

She approached me with an intimidated, yet ironically confident poise. I clenched my sword with my hand, and bared my fists. My veins were pulsing with anger.

"Pest?" she said. "What are _you_ doing here?" she asked in utter shock.

"Me? Oh, well, the norm. Probably the same as you, bitch" I spat back.

"I'm surprised someone as high and mighty as a god would claim you filthy nobody as their child" her eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Look who's talking, the trash can herself" I said.

"I'll have you know that my mother is Aphrodite, and she can ruin your love life, not like you have one" _Wow, Lindsey, _I thought._ You completely disarmed me! NOT!_

"Oh, please no! I beg of your- _fucking maturity_! And don't bother, sweetheart. My dad's Ares. Wait, allow me to rephrase; do you want me to beat you to a squirmy nothing like last time?" I practically shouted.

"I'm sure you can beat me up, Pest, but do you have the confidence to do it?" she challenged.

"Look, if I could right now, trust me I would make a good kebab out of you, but since, I can't, let's just get this over with before you test my nonexistent patience" I said through clenched teeth.

"No. I want to see you try. I want to see you only try to beat me up. I'm sure you wouldn't want to embarrass yourself" her eyelashes fluttered.

And that's when my sword cut her cheek, thigh, forearm, and hands in the blink of a second.

Lindsey started begging for her beauty back from her mom, and her overly glamorous sisters began swarming around her with pink flowered bandages, and citrus scent cut spray. _These chicks know nothing about first aid_, I thought.

Even all bandaged up, Lindsey attempted to fight back. Admittedly, she did cut me a few times in my shoulders, but that was nothing compared to the damage I had done.

Lindsey gave me a finalizing, vulnerable snarl, as she was helped by her fellow cabin-mates. I smiled at myself proudly, though I was due at the infirmary to pick up some bandages for my wounded shoulders. Percy immediately nodded, and asked me if he could help. I shook my head in disagreement, and walked by myself to the infirmary.

Gods, it felt good to see her shed blood like that. I hate to sound like a psycho, but yes, after all the traumatizing pain she had caused me. Those remarks will remain live in my head and heart forever. They were unshakeable, soul-shattering, disastrous. And, she, as the speaker of these words, I swore to myself that the hate for her shall remain forever, also.

As I reached for the infirmary door, I opened it to see a lot of kids, much a lot more injured than me. I hoped Apollo could take a small break from whatever he was doing and help these kids. I also prayed to my dad that he could give everyone an effin break so they get on with their own freaking lives.

I walked out of the infirmary, and walked back to the arena. I clutched the bandages in my hand, and as I saw Percy, I immediately handed them to him. He wrapped up the bandage and sent me away to the Big House to get some ambrosia and nectar. I didn't have a very clear idea of what those two things did, but Percy told me that they would help.

Usually, I would deny any help from anyone when it came to injuries. But today I just needed to go to the Big House. I got a feeling (A/N: haha ;D) that something awaited me in there, something important. So, I took the primitive cuts of my shoulders and exaggerated the pain. I walked into the cabin and saw Chiron.

"Where can I find ambrosia and nectar?" I asked.

"Over there by the counter" he pointed towards the table.

"Chiron, is there any way I can make a call?" I asked pleadingly.

"Well, dear, calls are usually not permitted because of the obvious signal it sends to monsters, but there is another way to communicate" he grinned.

"Texting?" I asked.

He chuckled. "No, not texting. Whatever that is. It's called Iris-messaging" he said matter-of-factly.

"How does it work?"

"You take a drachma and throw it in a mist, pray to Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, and if she isn't too busy, she'll take your call"

"Great. Can I make one?" I asked

"Certainly. Over there by the spring" he pointed to a soft-flowing little fountain. I approached it, drachma in hand, and let the coin fall.

"Oh, Iris, please accept my offering" I prayed.

"Anna Grey, Grace Orphanage for Girls" I said in a low tone.

* * *

The mist thickened as it became a full image. Before me, stood Anna in The Room. She was doing what we did most of the time; organizing and tidying up our already stained belongings.

"Anna?" I said. She turned around confused, but she reacted an approached the mist.

"Callie?" she cried out.

"Yeah" I smiled.

"Oh my God, Callie I was so worried! Where the fuck have you been?" she asked overjoyed.

"It's hard to explain. But I'm fine. I'm safe. Jay's here with me" I said.

"When are you coming back?" she said in a hopeful tone. My eyes were threatening to well up. I waited a few abominable seconds to respond.

"I'm, um, not coming back, sweetie. I have to stay here" I said brokenhearted.

"Forever?" she asked meekly.

"Well, until I'm old enough to take care of myself"

"And when is that?" she asked desperately.

"I don't know!" I shouted.

"So you're just going to go like that?" I could see the shininess in her eyes, her eyes flooding with saddened tears.

"I'm sorry! I can't go!" I said, angry.

"When am I gonna see you?"

"I don't know. Soon, hopefully. Maybe during Christmas in four months I can come visit you" I doubted myself.

"But Callie, where are you?" she insisted.

"I'm in a special camp. When I see you in December, we'll talk about everything, agreed? Just know that I'm fine, I'm safe from harm here"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine! I'm safer here than in the Orphanage"

"But why only you?" she asked.

"I don't know! Well, I promise I'll talk to you soon" I forced up a smile.

"Okay. Take care, hun" she smiled as a tear spilled from her eyes. I brushed away the mist before I could witness any more.

I was glad that I could finally get matters straight with Anna. I was sure I'd left her hanging as I had left. Even though I wasn't able to answer Anna's questions, I made sure she knew I was fine. I suddenly got a feeling of homesickness, and it shook my stomach, but I made it go away, and put on a straight face for the rest of the day.

After sipping just a bit of nectar, I walked out of the Big House and into the Ares cabin. I was unsure of the following activity, so I checked.

_12:00 pm- Lunch in the dining pavilion. _

I walked absentmindedly to the Ares table in the pavilion. Somehow, I didn't seem to fit in with these kids. They were all a couple years older than me, except Syd, who was a girl about my age with dirty blond hair and fierce green eyes, maybe a year or so older than me. We seemed to get along fine, well, as fine as someone can get along in the Ares cabin.

I didn't even eat anything, as the conversation with Anna drained my appetite. I had no desires to eat or to move. It pained me to leave her like that. She was the only person who I could trust, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to let her go. She was my best friend, the only one that said hi to me the day I got there, and the one that didn't get mad when I grabbed all of her crayons without permission when we were little. She was definetly the only one that tolerated me.

After that eternal lunch hour, it was free period, half an hour of staying in the cabins digesting the food and resting. I walked to the statue of my father, blaming him for all the insanity he caused in my life. First, he left me, and took the one thing in my life that I actually valued, my best friend. He could send me as many Lindseys and monsters as he wanted, but taking my best friend away from me was a low blow.

I hit the statue with my fists, leaving the statue unscathed. I shook it with rage, but it did nothing. I sat on my bunk with frustration, telling myself to man up like I frequently did. I took a bed sheet and tore it into pieces, hoping that it would help me calm down, but it didn't.

"Why do you make everything difficult for me? Why must everything I do get complicated? Why must every action turn into a problem, dad? Why am I not good enough for you? What have I done that is so irrevocably wrong that you have to send this pain to me? _WHAT_ do you _want_ from me?" I shouted.

"To man up" a deep grainy, military voice spoke from behind me.

To my utter surprise, it was my dad, Iris-messaging me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Goode Hope- Chapter 6**

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**(_The following chapter is in part dedicated to my friend Paola. Hope you like it! :)_**

**_Another part is dedicated to another friend who helped me ;)_**

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I know that I should've probably run, but instead, I did this.

"WHATTHEFUCK- wait, what are you doing here, you bastard? Who said you could come in?" I growled.

"Watch it, brat! I'm your father. Am I not allowed to talk to you from time to time?"

"Uh, well, NO, since you haven't_ EVER!_" I shouted.

"Well, I'm here now, and there's nothing you can do about it" he stated.

"Seriously, what could you possibly want?" I hissed.

"I needed to talk to you" he said.

I didn't say anything.

"I was telling you that you need to man up, Callie"

"You didn't answer my questions. Why?"

"I suppose I have to explain all of this to you, don't I?" he said with a scowl on his face.

"It would be helpful" I said.

"Look, Callie, I got a lot of kids. Each of them try to do the same thing: try and make me proud. I know you've hated me all your life. I know you despise me. I know you hate me beyond words. And, to see what you were made of, I sent you the Cyclops. And you failed" he admitted.

"So, on my second day of camp you decide to send me a monster? Knowing that I didn't have any training whatsoever, you little insolent piece of-"

"Hey, watch the language, punk" he scolded. "And yes. All of my children need to prove themselves sometime. Your moment has passed"

"What about my life?" I asked. "Why did you send me to that monster-infested orphanage? Why did you leave me and mom? Why did you send me here, only to remove me from the Hermes cabin when I was beginning to be friends with them? Why do you choose to make my life so difficult?"

"Well, honey, I have to kill time somehow. I mean, Aphrodite has things to do, too, so what, I stay up there in the Mount and just mess with people, cause it's fun you know? That's what I do. As for you, though, I sent you to the Orphanage for you to learn that you can't always have it the easy way. Look what it did to you. It made you stronger. That's what you needed"

If he wasn't a god, I would be smacking the crap out of him.

"What about mom?" I asked.

"Your mom and I had a rocky relationship from the beginning. I had met her at the fitness section of the store, naturally. Well, anyway, we had some disagreements, but as much as you object, I didn't make her die. I liked your mom"

"Her name is Veronica" I said harshly.

"Yes, Veronica. Anyway, I make your life difficult because your life will never be easy. And I will personally make sure of that"

"Gee, thanks. I feel so special" I said sarcastically.

"And you know what? It's true, I do hate you! Because, as far as I know, I haven't done anything to make you hate me, too. I don't know what the freaking hell you do up in Mount Olympus, or how can Aphrodite possibly love you, because you're a nasty little bitch, you hear me? I'm not afraid of you, nor I have been for the last fourteen years of my life. So I challenge you, Ares, try your best, because I'll be waiting"

"Listen, punk, you don't want any more trouble. I'll be watching you..." and he dissipated into nothingness.

* * *

Right now what I wanted to do was stab a My Little Pony to death. Don't ask...

After I had cooled down, leaving my pillow badly ripped and bruised, I walked to my next activity, volleyball. Now, I don't see how this would help fight a monster, or even defend myself, but, at least I would get my anger out.

"WAAAAAAH!" I yelled as I hit the ball. It came booming down and no one could catch it. My teammates looked at me in disbelief, and I smiled proudly at myself. Normally, I would've sucked at volleyball, but I guess my anger took over.

After the sweaty game of ball, I saw Lindsey passing by. She looked at me with venomous eyes, but I returned it to her just the same. It probably shook her, because she looked away.

A tall guy with shiny brown hair and comforting black eyes startled me as he approached me from the back. I turned around carefully to face him. His eyes, at first, captured me, but soon I snapped myself out of it.

"Hey, um, Callie, isn't it?" he smiled.

"Yeah" I said nonchalantly.

"I'm Damon, son of Apollo" he put out his hand. I looked at it hesitantly, but I shook it anyway. "I, uh, was wondering, that, um, maybe, uh.." he started mumbling.

"Dude, come on!" I worried.

"I was wondering-if-you'd-like-to-hang-out-sometime!" he said really fast. I didn't really know what so say.

"I'll think about it" I tried to say as nicely as possible. Damon grinned.

"Awesome. You seem really cool. Just, uh, tell me if you change your mind" he said as he walked away.

You know, this kid almost helped me get over what my conversation with Ares.

Almost.

The thing that I wanted to do the most right now was fight again. I wanted to experience that rush of adrenaline in the fight, and see who dared to face me now after the Lindsey incident. But, sadly, I didn't have sword fighting until tomorrow. Crap.

Anyway, after that, I had laundry time. I walked to the Ares cabin to pick up my dirty clothes, which weren't that much. I took the red laundry basket to the small shed that was the laundry room. A bunch of other kids from the other cabins were there doing laundry also.

I had to wait a few good twenty minutes for a unoccupied washer. I tossed all of my things in there and turned the setting knobs. Beside me, a short girl with short black hair, black Ray-Ban style glasses was carefully tending her clothes into the dryer. She seemed to be very fashion forward, as how her clothes were styled. Her shirt hung perfectly off her body, her shoes were spotless, and she wore a golden vintage necklace. Wimp, I thought at first, but then she noticed me, too.

"Hi" she said cheerfully.

"Hey" I said blandly.

"I'm Penelope, daughter of Apollo" she held out her hand like her brother.

"Do all of the Apollo campers do this?" I wondered out loud.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Say your name, your parent, and then shake the other person's hand" I explained.

"Oh, Apollo taught us to be that way. But he never actually acts like that. He just likes us to make a good first impression" she smiled. "Well, that and his great share of dreadful haikus and pickup lines"

"Oh... interesting"

"So, who's your parent?"

"I don't really like to talk about it" I said, almost angry.

"Bad relationship, huh?"

"Yeah" I spat.

"Well, I'm sorry. Our dad has a very close relationship with us. He tries to visit whenever he finds time"

"Well, that's how it is for you! At least your dad gives a damn about you! He just leaves us alone to fend for ourselves!" I burst out at her.

"You're an Ares kid, aren't you?"

I didn't answer. She looked at me knowingly.

"You know, your sister Clarisse is a strong person, and I admire that about her. Maybe you should try to be strong for you and your siblings" What was she, a priestess?

"I didn't really need that. I already knew. Clarisse hates me, by the way. Almost everyone hates me at the Ares cabin" I frowned. "But, it's not like I care" I quickly added.

"Nah, it's okay. Just remember that you got a friend here if you need anything, 'kay?" This girl was weird, but then again, I'd lost most of my friends, so, what the heck, let's give it a shot. It's not like I wanted to be a loner.

" 'Kay, thanks" Penelope took all of her clothes from the dryer. "Hey, mind if I call you Penny?" I asked.

She smiled, "No, I like it" and she walked out of the laundry room.

Well, let's see where this goes" I muttered to myself as I tossed my clothes from the washer to the dryer.

* * *

**A/N: Hey! I really hope you liked this chapter. It was kind of tricky to write. Also, let me know what you think. I really, really hope you like it!**

**Happy early Holidays! -mariarodz**


	7. Chapter 7

**Goode Hope- Chapter 7**

**YES! Got my writing back! Enjoy! :D**

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After I finished my laundry, which consisted of only a few shirts and pants, I walked back to my cabin to dumped everything there discordantly. Deena **(A/N: She's an Ares kid)** glanced at me vaguely, and then continued to whatever it was she was doing.

The next morning, I was glad that I had gone through yesterday without any more problems, except the ordinary bickering of the Ares cabin. I got ready for next tenuous day ahead. I happily stepped away from the Ares cabin and into my first activity of the day, Archery, led by no one else than the Apollo cabin.

I stood in one of the less crowded areas of the arena. Will Solace stood in the middle, flashing his brilliantly white smile. I stood there waiting for everyone to get their asses over here so we could get this over with. And, as always, everyone took their sweet time doing things.

I found Penny standing a few people away from me. She noticed me, and walked over happily.

"Morning" she said.

"Hey" I replied.

"I heard from Will that you're a pretty good archer"

"Meh. Sort of. I still can't hit the bull's eye. What are you even doing here? Aren't you like, magically supposed to be an awesome archer?" I asked waving my hands dramatically.

She laughed. "No. Well, sort of. We have the natural ability of aim, but there's always need for practice. Without it, we wouldn't be able to shoot properly. It's like any other thing. Of course, as you can see, Will's been here longer than the rest of us, so he now teaches the class" she explained matter-of-factly.

"Oh" I said stupidly. Damon eyed me from across the arena, asking me a question. _Fuck_, I thought. He came over and said hi to Penny.

"So, have you thought about it?" he asked confidently and expectantly.

"Yeah, I have" I loved Penny's puzzled look.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"He asked me out" I explained. Damon blushed beet red. Penny looked at Damon.

"Anyway, yeah, so..." Damon said awkwardly.

"Well, good luck with that" She winked at Damon.

"Thanks" he said.

"You'll find out soon" I said. Damon looked frustrated, but patient. "Well, I'll see ya" I said, as Will told the same Apollo story like at the beginning of each class.

At one point, it was Archery Lineup. There's two rows, and directly in front there are two targets. In front of them, there are living, moving things, and the objective is to land on the bull's eye. Fun.

Luckily, Damon hadn't bothered me with his questions anymore. My partner in the other row was Penny, who smiled amiably at me.

She gave me the traditional good luck sign, and I shot. The arrow brushed against a bird, thus bouncing off, landing right at the edge of the target. I watched as Penny's arrow landed right on the bull's' eye.

I walked to the back of the line. I was frustrated enough about just... life in general. I was actually hoping I'd get a real father, not some stupid a-hole! **(A/N: WTB reference xD)** I didn't have any friends except that creepy stalker, Damon, and Penny. Wow, was I wrong about this camp... This is _NOTHING _like Narnia!

My next activity was free time. Thank the gods! I didn't really know what to do, so I just decided to wander around camp for a while... see if I do something productive and/or time consuming.

I stepped down from my cabin, and walked towards the wooded part of camp. Usually, as I heard, almost no one goes in there. Either they're too busy or not interested, or they're scared. Since I'm scared of virtually nothing, I walked into the woods.

They were beautiful. All the trees were scattered in irregular arrangements, all of them a different kind. I saw maple, oak, elm, redwood, palm trees... I know. Palm trees in Long Island? Weird. At some three hundred yards from camp, I found a very cozy oak tree where I could sit down and just think... try and figure out my life from this point on. Organize my emotions. Everything.

"I wish my life could be less complicated" I said to no one in particular. "I wish my dad was human. I wish I was back with Mom. I wish I could see her again"

I plopped down against the trunk, and just stared at the leaves. _Demeter is really creative,_ I thought. As my thoughts continued to race, I felt the support of the tree loosening, and loosening, until I fell on my back to the moist soil.

"What the...?" I began to say when a greenish finger tapped my shoulder. I retracted, startled, and looked up to the person the finger belonged to.

"Hey" the girl said. She had flowing light brown hair and a radiant smile.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" I asked harshly.

"I'm the tree that held your back" she said.

"_What?_"

"I'm Leah, and I'm a wood nymph, meaning, I'm a _nature_ spirit, hence a _tree_" she signaled towards the other trees.

"Oh. So, what are you doing here?"

"I heard what you said. About what you wished" she looked at me knowingly.

"Why were you listening to my conversation?"

"I was the tree! How can I not hear. I have ears, you know?"

"Actually, I didn't know, 'cause I thought trees were inanimate objects!" I screamed at her.

"Well, we're not. So, I thought I'd just... say hi?"

"Well, hi. Can you go back to being a tree now, please?"

"I'd thought I'd accompany you while you were here" she smiled.

"Why would I want you here?"

"Believe it or not, trees are very good listeners" she said proudly. I rolled my eyes. "Why were you wishing what you were wishing?" she asked concernedly.

"Because... well, it's absolutely none of your business, but it's just that... I'm frustrated. I was in an orphanage in Pennsylvania when Percy and Annabeth brought me here. Then, just my luck, I get claimed by Ares, who happens to be on a constant bipolar PMS, my enemy from the orphanage is a bitchy Aphrodite kid, I have close to no friends, I have a weird stalker from the Apollo cabin, and I'm just horrible at everything" it felt good releasing my thoughts, but I wasn't sure how Leah was gonna take it.

"Oh." she simply replied. "I'm sorry. Stay optimistic. It gets better. Someday, if you're lucky, or should I say, unlucky, whichever way you see it, you'll get a prophecy and you'll get a chance to go on a quest" she said all happy and girly.

"Why did you say 'whichever way I see it?'" I asked. Leah sighed.

"Because, Callie, demigods often get lost or killed in quests. Yes, it is an opportunity to get into the real world, but it's really risky, and it involves a lot of fighting, not that _that_ would be a problem for you"

"Sounds good to me" I said brightly. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

"Oh... that kid Damon, who I guess is your _'stalker'_ comes prancing around here often yelling "Callie!", so I know it must be you" she almost laughed. "But, to get a prophecy, you must train. You must try your best to measure up, and maybe someday, the Oracle of Delphi will come to you" she patted my back.

"Thanks" my lips knotted to the side. **(like this :\ ) **

"I'll be here if you ever need a friend. I got your back. Literally" we both smiled. Then, Leah transformed back into a tree.

I walked back to camp, realizing it was almost time for the next activity. I felt a little better having talked with Leah. Trees really _are_ good listeners.

* * *

When I came out of the woods, I listened, and my cabin sounded like riot. Not something unusual. I entered through the door.

"What's going on?" I yelled.

"That kid Damon is outside prancing yelling "Callie!" and I just want to send him to namby-pamby land!" shouted Clarisse. "You better go outside and do something" she warned.

"Fine. Just give me a sec. I'll be right back" I smiled evilly.

I walked out and I saw him prancing, like Clarisse said.

"HEY CALLIE!_ OH MY GODS_ HOW GOOD TO SEE YOU! I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU _ALL_ OVER THE CAMP AND YOU KNOW AND..." he continued.

"Aha?" I asked.

"Yeah!"

"Damon?" I said quietly.

"Yes, dear?" he asked.

"Stay out of my life. _Forever_. Get it?"

"But-!" I cut him off. Then, I proceeded to punch him in the face. I looked back at my cabin as they all cheered with glee.

* * *

**A/N: HI! I finally got my writing mojo back. Anyway, I'd really like to hear what you think of this chapter. Thanks to Paola for suggesting the punch at the end. She's in LA now :( but at least she's having a good time, which is, well, good. By the way, visit my profile and click the first link to my blog for randomness and just... randomness.**

**Also, I'd like to thank ToughLove1023 for mentioning me and my story, Edward's Identity Crisis, A Parody in the latest chapter of her story, Decode. It totally made my day :') She's a really awesome author and person, so you should check her and her story out :D**

**So, until the next chapter!  
-MC**


	8. Chapter 8

**Goode Hope- Chapter 8**

**A/N: First of all, I'd like to thank ToughLove1023 for helping me out with this one. She's an awesome writer, friend, and muse for this chapter. Go check her out. Now :)**

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* * *

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I walked only to be bombarded with Hi-five's and cheers.

"Seriously, what is up with that kid?" asked one of my siblings, Darren.

"I don't know. He's just some stalker. I'd been meaning to punch him for a while now" I admitted.

"Well, nice going, sis" he patted my shoulder. For the first time, I kind of felt accepted in my own cabin. It felt good.

After a few quick minutes of chatting amongst ourselves, we had to head back to our activities. According to my schedule, we had Weapon Making with the Hephaestus cabin. This should go well, I thought.

We walked down to the forges of the Hephaestus cabin, and the cabin was already hammering down on swords like masters. Jake Mason put down his knife to greets us.

"Hey, Ares cabin. Welcome to the forges. Today, we'll be learning about sword making" he said in a cheery tone.

I rolled my eyes. Cheery people irritate me.

Each of us were assigned a metal heater with cooler, and a hammer. We had to heat the sword and cool it, then give it shape. Complicated enough, I thought.

Beside me were Deena and Roy, two of my siblings. I decided to take my sword and dip it into the fire to heat it. This was boring. Just sitting there looking at metal cook. Fun.

When my judgment told me it was time to take out the sword, I ejected it from the stove. As I turned to put in the table to prepare the cooler, I accidentally brushed my finger against the fiery new weapon.

"SHIT! FUCK!" I shouted. A few campers looked at me, and I looked back. They lifted their eyes off me and continued working.

"You okay there?" the boy working in front of me said as he continued to work. He stifled a laugh.

"Oh, I'm fine" I said sarcastically. "Seriously, don't laugh"

"Ok, fine, I won't laugh. Other people's pain is not amusing to me" his laugh grew uncontrollable.

"You little troll" I muttered. "If my hand wasn't temporarily incapacitated, I would hit you with the sword" I said through clenched teeth.

"Sure, tough girl" he said.

"What's your name" I asked.

"Lester" he said, and his eyes never left his work. "Why'd you ask?" he fought back a smile. Or was it a smirk? I couldn't tell.

" 'Cause when my hand heals, I can punch your face for laughing at me" I said calmly.

"I feel so threatened! That line seriously caught me off guard! For a second, I thought you were gonna ask me to hang out with you or something. Phew! Thank gods, I was wrong!" he looked up.

Lester had reddish brown hair and blue eyes. He had a scar on the bottom of his right jawline, going across, almost reaching his cheek. He had sort of a light scowl on his face. He also had scars on his hands.

"Shut up, metalhead" I said.

"Hey, girl, you didn't tell me your name" he smiled.

"Why'd you wanna know?" I asked cautiously.

" 'Cause I'm like that" he said.

"Name's Callie. Now shut up" I said. By this time, Jake had already brought me a bandage, so I inserted the sword into the cooler.

"Are you new here?" he asked. I just nodded.

"Oh, newbie!" he said playfully.

"How old are you?" I asked.

"Fifteen. You're seriously creeping me out with your stalkerish behavior" he said.

"I'm not being stalkerish, you little dipwad!" I raised my voice. With the clanks of the metal, almost no one heard me.

"Then why'd you wanna know?"

"I wanted to make sure I wasn't talking to a five-year-old"

"Oh, you talk to yourself? That's nice" he teased.

"I"m not five, dumbass! I'm fourteen!"

"Could've fooled me" he bit back a smile. I scoffed.

I hammered on my sword after it was done cooling. It's kind of harder than it looks. I have to keep the sword from sliding away from the hammer's impact. I caught Lester twice sneaking a look at me. And he calls me the stalker? Gods!

* * *

After I left the Hephaestus cabin, I had Laundry, again. Usually, laundry's a time where you can come and go as you please, as long as there's an available washer.

I took the one nearest to the wall. I tossed my things in there and waited, and waited. The washer next to me was currently being used by a Morpheus camper. I sat on a stool beside my washer and waited some more. Fun? No.

"Yo, tough girl!" Lester shouted. What could he possibly want now?

"Yo, metalhead!" I shouted back.

"Wassup?" he asked.

"What do you think?" he looked away sheepishly.

"I am almost certain you're doing laundry" he brushed his chin with his thumb and index finger.

"You need an award, seriously" I clapped. I gave him a sarcastic look.

"Really? I've always wanted an award" he said. I rolled my eyes. "Well, I guess I'll see you 'round" he said with a gleaming smile.

It was lunch now. We headed in a disorderly fashion to the table. I saw my siblings trampling over some other campers to get some food. I just have the greatest family, don't I? I got in line and waited for my turn. Nope, not easy, but I wasn't about to run over people like my siblings.

I threw some food in the fire, but said nothing. Ares is not worth thanking. I don't know how my siblings do it.

After I sat down, I ate my food absentmindedly. I looked around the other tables, and I saw Jay. I hadn't talked to her since we arrived to camp. I waved at her, and she gave me a smile. I'd like to talk to her again sometime.

At the table to my left was the Apollo cabin, which was bad. Damon was in the infirmary getting his head iced, and Penny had a not-so-friendly look on her face. She was probably mad 'cause I punched her brother, but whatever. She'll get over it.

Two tables down was the Hephaestus cabin. I saw Lester look at me and just rolled my eyes. Idiot! I thought.

When lunch was over, we had sword fighting, which made me happy. I loved sword fighting more than anything... well, right after hand-to-hand combat. Percy arranged the three cabins that were in this class; Ares, Hermes, and Apollo. Awesome. Just awesome.

"You all know the rules. So how about we split you into two teams. Half of the Apollo cabin goes with the Ares cabin and half goes with the Hermes cabin" I heard some groans coming from the Apollo cabin.

"Let's start with simple stab-dodge techniques, all right?" Percy instructed. We all nodded.

What Percy did was split us in two equal groups, into two rows. The first person from the first row fought with the first person from the second row, and so on and so forth.

All of my cabin, including me, cheered every time someone began fighting. So far, our row was winning, naturally.

"Come on!" we cheered the person before me.

"Stab!" Clarisse yelled.

"I'm on it!" the person would yell.

Oh yes, how I enjoyed sword fighting. All this time, I hadn't paid attention to who I would be fighting. I could really care less, anyway. I looked to my left to see my competition. Apparently, I was gonna be facing Penny. _Greeeeeat_.

It was now my turn and I took a deep breath. I approached the messy, dirty space before me, and stood challengingly. Penny did so as well, and I looked fiercely in her eyes.

Her sword clanked as she challenged me to beat her.

* * *

**A/N: Happy New Year! I hope you guys had a great time! So, you know the drill: leave feedback! I really want to know your opinion! -Love, MC**


	9. Chapter 9

**Goode Hope- Chapter 9**

I was genuinely surprised when Penny stepped up with such poise. I had always pictured her as a vulnerable, not-up-for-fights kind of chick. Life can be a bitch, can't it?

I followed her motion, standing my ground. At this point, I'm pretty sure both of us were waiting for the other to make the first move. I didn't hesitate to begin the fight, and I could see Penny expected so. With a wicked grin on her face, she blocked my sword with a force. If I was her, I would've let my brother's punch go, since it wasn't my fight, my problem, nor my business. But apparently, Penny took things way too personally.

With the anger boiled up inside, I stroke back on her sword, aiming for fall. She held on forcefully to her weapon, reluctant to let it go.

"Let's dance" was all I said.

Penny made the commencing move. She stabbed confidently, aiming to my stomach. Surprised, I jerked back, letting my sword traveld to her leg. She intensively blocked, and dazed, I gathered my thoughts toward my next motion. I stepped back and let Penny stab the floor. Before she could pick it up, I slammed mine against hers, and knocked it out of the designated circle. Penny couldn't retrieve her sword. My sword was pinned on her chest.

"Either you let go of what happened between me and your brother, or your face ain't gonna be so pretty anymore, got it?" I said through clenched teeth. Penny nodded with fiery eyes.

Percy called out that the next couple was going to fight now, and we should head out of the arena.

Penny seemed to calm down after that, but I could see that she was hurt by what I did to her brother. That's just stupid.

I left the arena, a bit exasperated because of the edge Penny had. I was kind of jumpy. I went back in the woods, hoping to find Leah. I scoured the place, expecting to see Leah's friendly face.

A few feet from the tree I knew to be Leah's I saw someone that surprised me.

"Jay" I said.

"Hey, Callie. Haven't talked to you in a while" she stared at the ground

"True" was all I said.

"I'm pretty sure you know I've been claimed by now," her expression changed.

"No, I didn't. I mean, I was speculative, but I didn't know for sure. Whose are you?" she asked.

"Ares" I spat.

"Oh." I must say that that was not very insightful of Jay.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" That was sort of a stupid question, since Jay's the daughter of the goddess of agriculture, but who cares?

"Just, you know, hanging out with nature"

I walked over to Leah's oak tree.

"Leah? You there?" I asked.

"Yes. Hi, Callie. I see you've met Jay" Leah smiled.

"Well, actually, we came to camp together" It seemed like a distant memory to me.

"Oh! I didn't realize" she said. "Is there something you needed?" she asked me.

"Well, I was hoping to talk to you" I said, hoping Jay would take the clue.

"Yes. About what, exactly?"

"Well, um..." I looked at Jay. "Do you mind?"

"Oh, no, of course. I'll see you later, Cal!" I was stunned. _Cal?_ No one ever called me Cal, except my now-dead mother.

"Bye" the words barely escaped my lips.

"So, what did you want to talk abut?" Leah asked.

"Well, it's just that life here keeps getting more and more bizarre every day. I mean, my friend, Penny, who once I saw as vulnerable, nearly killed me today in sword class. And Jay, who was a close friend of mine, has seemed to cut ties with me. It's all just so confusing" I cupped my head in my hands.

"Maybe you need a distraction" she looked at me with mischevious eyes. I wasn't aware she was capable of that.

"What?" I asked, guarded.

Leah said nothing, but motioned with her hands. I stood there wide-eyed.

"Oh, no, Leah! No! No! I wouldn't- NO! It's way too soo- NO!" I yelled.

"Come on, it would help you take your mind off things for a bit. Come on!" she encouraged.

"It's not up to me. It's up to... whoever else. It's not like I can make it happen"

"So, no, you're not up to have a friend?" she asked.

"Well, not like that, anyway. I got here a month ago. What do you want me to do?"

"Make friends. I hear from Jay that there's..." she smiled.

"What?" she whispered in my ear.

"NO! Oh, Gods, NO! Come on, where would get an idea like that?"

"Perhaps because she saw how good you two work together" Leah suggested.

"Good? We can barely look at each other without throwing some lame, insulting remark out there!"

"Exactly" she said.

"Well, then, let's work on it." I said as I approached camp again.

* * *

I walked back to camp, looking for this certain person. I was gonna take Leah's advice and try and make friends. It couldn't be so hard, couldn't it?

During free period, I saw him sitting on a rock overlooking the beach. I don't know why, though, 'cause he ain't no son of Poseidon.

"Metalhead! Nice to see you" I sat on the boulder next to him. Lester half smiled.

"Tough girl" his fingers fiddled with a contraption he held in his hand.

"Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be making swords all day long?"

"Typical stereotype of Hephaestus kids. We have to take a break sometime, you know?" he smirked.

"Yeah. I thought I'd come here and just hang. I'm not the stereotypical, distant, mean, agressive, Ares girl. Well, maybe I'm lying on that last part, but you know what I mean" my feet dangled from the edge of the boulder.

"I do know what you mean" he looked at me with his crystal blue eyes. He smiled the most distant of smiles.

"You OK? I ain't gonna be friend of no wimp!" I said jokingly.

"Yeah, I'm fine" he grinned.

"So what brings you to this deadly boulder?" I asked.

"It's good here to come and think. It's mostly a Poseidon kids' thing, but I don't know, it's got a rough feeling to it I like" he glanced at me.

I twisted my fingers around a locket I always wore around my neck. *** (see A/N)**

"Where'd you get that?" he pointed to my locket.

"First of all, I don't know why it's so fascinating for you, and really, it's none of your business, but, it's my mom's. End of story"

"Oh, sorry you were so protective of your mother's jewelry" he put his arms in the air in defense.

"She's dead, alright, I don't need your clever remarks about how or how it's not important to me" I said through clenched teeth.

"Gee, sorry, touchy subject"

"Touchy subject doesn't cover half of it" anger slipped through my voice.

"Sorry!" he extended it like, _soooo-rrrrrry._

"Not like you don't have anything from your mom" I muttered.

"Well, yeah, I do. I have a chain she gave me on my fifth birthday, but I keep it in a box I built myself, to protect it" he explained.

"That's nice of you" I said.

"Who said I wasn't nice?" he joked.

Then I realize, _maybe Lester won't be such a bad friend, after all._

* * *

**A/N:**

**_* It is in fact unmentioned in previous chapters, but Callie wears a locket that was given to her by her mother shortly before she died. _**

**_By the way, if later on you see an asterisk (*) means [see Author's Note]_**

* * *

**A/N _(cont.)__: _Happy (Late) New Year! Yeah! Awesome! So, today, I'm going on a trip, so maybe that's why this update is so quick after the previous. Anyway, you know the drill! Leave feedback! I need to know what you think! Also, I would really appreciate if you read my new project/story, _Inescapable, _****because I want to know if I can continue that story after I wrap up this one. So, yeah, leave your feedback both here and in the new story. I promise to be back, real soon ;D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Goode Hope- Chapter 10**

* * *

For a long time, I felt like I couldn't trust anyone. Ever since I got to Camp Half Blood, actually. But, today... something just clicked. I could be myself again, like I could actually be... me. Just me. Not the stereotypical Ares girl, 'cause let's face it, my lifelong purpose isn't to 'make my daddy proud', and I'm just a little bit more on the careful side when it comes to other people's emotions.

Lester was cool. He was easy to talk to, and probably the closest friend I have here. Right after Leah, of course. But, it's just... something else... I can't quite put my finger on it... it's strangely... enticing. Just something Leah doesn't have.

My feet hung from the huge boulder that rested beside the one Lester sat on, and we just looked at the beach. What a sappy moment, I know, but it was just peaceful for once. No more Penny _you-hurt-my-brother-so-now-you're-going-down-bitch _drama. No more Ares cabin drama. No more Jay drama. Just... a nice time with my friend, Lester. Someone who I think I'll be able to fully trust in the future.

His eyes caught up with mine. He smiled, and said nothing. It was like that for a while. Just silence, and the crashing of the waves on the shore.

"Hey, what's wrong? You've been quiet" he said.

I looked at him skeptically. "Nothing"

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah, absolutely" I said, actually _un_sure.

I promptly decided to change the subject. "How did you get to Camp Half-Blood?"

"When I was ten, I lived in Ohio" he began. "My mom worked at the hardware store. One day, I was with her at work and a costumer turned into a monster. My mom wasn't aware that I was a demigod, or even of the gods' existence. I ran away. Then, I stumbled upon one of my half-brothers, Greg. I met him when I was on the run. My mom thought I'd been kidnapped. I think she still does. Greg and I got here, bleeding and underfed, and Chiron welcomed us and immediately showed us to the infirmary" his eyes twinkled a little with sadness. "At least yours was a little more graceful" he smirked.

"What do you mean?" I asked defensively.

"Well, when you got here, you weren't scratched, you weren't hurt, you were in perfect condition. You were unscathed, unlike most of us" he knotted his fingers.

"Have you ever been into an orphanage before?" I asked.

"Not really" he replied, his hair twirling slightly in the autumn breeze.

"Well, it's not fun. At least mine wasn't. I swear, it was run by Cruella De Ville. It was like, movie cruel. Everything was already used by someone else and- I- I- I just..." I shifted. I couldn't tell him directly in the eyes how it was I had had it.

"I'm sorry, then. I didn't realize"

"Um... yeah" we sat there in awkward silence. I kept my eyes fixed on a rock peaking atop of the ocean. Lester was doing something else, but I couldn't see.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked suddenly. Startled, my head shot up.

"Nothing, really, it's nothing" I said, standing up. "I have to go. I'll talk to you later" I said hurriedly. Why did I just do that? Why did I so badly want to get away from Lester when he was being nice to me? I think it's because I'm not used to this whole 'nice' thing.

I scurried back into the woods, not really caring about my schedule anymore, and went to find Leah.

"Leah!" I exclaimed.

"What?" She asked.

"I need to talk to you." I said in a flat tone.

"Well, not before you deal with this" she pointed toward the woods.

"Leah, Leah, Leah, well, she's mighty fine! Leah, Leah, Leah, she is the love of my life!" a disturbingly familiar voice hooted.

"No way" I said in disbelief.

"Yeah. It's not my fault!" she said.

The little psycho skipped in front of us.

"Hello, ladies" he said in an annoying manner.

"What are you doing here, Damon? Why don't you get a life to live?" I snapped.

"Because..." he turned to Leah.

"Damon, I already said no" she kept saying.

"But please! I have been looking for you _EVERYWHERE_! OH MY GODS WHY DO YOU HATE ME?" He weeped.

"I- I - don't hate you" Leah said unconvincingly.

"Then why won't you listen to me?" he sobbed.

"If you leave, maybe you weren't be such a _pu_-"

"I know what will make me feel better!" he said mischievously.

"No. I already said no!"

"Okay, why don't we go out sometime like-" I punched the little creep in the face, again.

"I'll take that as a yes!" fainting, Damon rapidly fell to the ground with a thud.

"Damn, it, Callie! He won't leave me alone" Leah complained.

"Now you know what I went through" I said with a smirk.

"What is _up_ with him?" Leah yelled.

"He has unresolved issues. Just- let him be" I waved him off.

"Anyway, what was it you wanted to talk about?" she looked at me attentively.

"Well, Lester. I was talking to him, like you said, and he's cool" I moved my eyed around the surroundings.

"Uh-huh... what else can you tell me?" she urged.

"Well, it was nice having another friend" I simply replied.

"That's good!" she smiled.

"Yeah. It was" I smiled. "See you later"

And with that, I headed out of the woods.

* * *

_Five Days Later_

This week flew by. It was a blur. Only a few things were clear to me.

_I sat comfortably in my now-used seat in the dining pavilion. I mixed my food in my plate, and took out a huge bite. I grabbed the glass of apple juice and drank. When I put it down, I looked two tables down. I felt his blue eyes on my face. I tossed him an irritated look and he retreated reluctantly._

And then later that day...

_We were in sword fighting. Our partners were the Hephaestus cabin. Great._

_Naturally, I was partnered with Greg. He, as Lester mentioned, was his half brother. Awesome. _

_Lester was partnered with Deena, and so on and so forth. While I tried to get Greg sword out of his hand, Deena had already knocked him down. _

In these five days, Lester and I had got to know each other more. He had told me about his childhood, his experiences. I now know he was obsessed with paper airplanes and Lego's. He lived in the north of Ohio. His mom could fix things in the house. He had three close friends back home, none of which were demigods. He's 5'10. He has an incredible smile. He uses Whitestrips. I figured.

I had told him about Anna, and how we used to play pranks on each other all the time. About that one prank we pulled on the principal. We hid gum on her chair, and for the rest of the day, she had gum stuck in her skirt's butt. Good times. I had told him about how my mom used to stroke my hair every night before I went to bed, and how I could still sometimes feel her warming caress on my head. About how that one time when I almost escaped from the orphanage.

You could say we had spent a lot more time than two people usually do.

Like, for example, four days ago, we skipped all the activities and sat in the boulders, just enjoying each other's company. We were talking about our family, our childhood, and how much we think of home. How much we miss our parents, and how we wish they were here.

We also talked about random things, like the movies, and the music we liked. I liked rock, and he liked rock, too. But I'm a Beatles girl, and he's a Rolling Stones fan. Such a pity.

I like horror movies. He likes action movies. Predictable, yet _awesome_!

And so on and so forth.

Now, five days after I've talked with Leah, Lester and I have grown closer. I haven't talked to her since yesterday, but she told me Damon hadn't laid off on her, and he's still waiting for that date.

Oh, Leah...

* * *

It was Saturday now, and I was sitting on a log while my cabin was in Archery class. Will said I could have a time out, since I'd done a little better, and so I took the chance and just sat down for a little bit. I tapped my feet to one of my favorite songs, _A Hard Day's Night_. Blame me for loving the Beatles, seriously.

Thankfully, the class was over in a few minutes. We were relieved from activities after lunch, it being the weekend. So, I naturally headed to lunch with unbreakable enthusiasm.

"Hey, there, Hoghead" that was Lester's new nickname for me. I kind of hate it. I already told him.

"Don't call me that!" I retorted. "It's not funny at all"

"Why? It's fun to annoy you" he chuckled.

"Ugh! Go have fun with yourself in a hole" I joked.

"I'll go do that" he said sarcastically.

We separated and went to our respective tables. Like every other day, I ate my food in silence while I heard the rest of my cabin bicker incessantly.

After we ate, I was headed back into my cabin, just to get a few things and head to the woods. I felt paces behind me, but I assumed they were my half-siblings'.

"Yo" called Lester.

"What?" I said.

"You wanna hang out?" he asked shyly.

"Dude, we've been hanging out all week" I chuckled. "Don't you have siblings?"

"I know, but still... I kind of don't have my Lego's here..." he admitted jokingly.

"I'll be right back" I said. I rushed into my cabin and dropped off whatever I didn't need and ran back out.

"Cool. I'm done" I ran out.

"Okay, so.. let's go" he motioned with his hand. I walked beside him, not knowing where he was planning to go.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, guys! I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in over 20 days. I'm really, really, sorry. I came back from DC, then school started, and since last week, I've had projects due every day.**

**I promise to update a lot sooner this time. I hope you like this chapter! Leave your feedback as always!**

**Love,  
-MC**

**PS- Thanks to ToughLove1023 for inspiring the punch scene. :**


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